Just a couple comments about the ball game. It was a heck of a football game. A lot of fireworks, a lot of extraordinary plays really on both sides of the ball for both teams. I’m taking out of this another really unique win, a special experience going into OT. Handled it the way we like to handle it. Getting the ball starting off, going on offense and go win the game right off the bat. All of those things are things that we like to say we can do and carry out and finish in great fashion in that regard. I think for the guys that haven’t been in it, it helps them. It helps them know how we do it and what it feels like. Hate to say it, but there’s probably another one in the works down the road here somewhere. If that’s the case, we will have been through it and grown from it. I’ve talked the whole year about the attitude of this team. It’s a really, really strong mentality that they have about the hanging together, talking right, supporting each other, looking after one another and playing for one another. It’s really important. It’s an important message that goes throughout this locker room and in these halls here. We’re going to try to keep building on it and keep finding ways to find a way to win. A couple guys I’d like to mention. I thought Joey [Hunt] played a great game for us under all of the circumstances of his first start in a long time, the guys that he was going against and the respect that we have for the players that he went against in the front. He did a really good job. The communication was great. He played well, too. That’s a huge bonus for us knowing we won’t have Justin [Britt] for the rest of the season for him to come through like that. Again, it’s another really good example for us that guys can step up and if you have losses, we can endure them. We can recover and make it through it and do well by it. Another one is our guys in the locker room really jumped to Jason [Myers] after the game knowing that he had a tough day and made a point to him that we were there with him supporting him and knowing just like everybody else makes mistakes in their jobs. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way we want it to. It doesn’t mean that we’re not caring for you and looking after you and counting on you. The communication I’ve had with him, he’s ready to bounce and we’re ready to bounce and we put what just happened behind us. Whether it was good or whether it was bad, we put it behind us, and we move forward. That’s how we’re going. It was an amazing day at the stadium. God dang, the crowd was great. All of the drama and all of that just made for a really great experience.”
(On how much of the overall attitude is taught within the team versus finding it in a player before bringing them into the organization) “I think you won’t be surprised by my answer. It’s both. We’re looking for guys that have a tremendous commitment to doing special stuff. They have an inner drive to really push and find a way to make a statement about what they stand for. That’s part of it. The leadership on this team, which is part of that process, the guys that stand up in front and talk and help support the messaging, they stand for the right stuff. They have communicated through all of the process, all of the time we have been together. Not in any one meeting or any one session, one speech, or anything like that. Just all the time being together about how important it is to look out for one another and care for one another so that we can play together ad play as one. It’s really valuable. It’s part of both. We want to try to find guys that understand that and then when we find them, we’re going to really nurture that opportunity for them to share what they think and what they feel with guys who can learn and grow from them. Trying to build as strong as we can.”
(On when stressing the importance of messaging for the team began) “It really felt like it came out of last season. I don’t have a specific time last year, but I know going into the offseason, I had the hopes that it was going to carry over. It already felt like the potential was there and the direction and the intention about this upcoming year and how to go about it was kind of imbedded already. We have just dwelled on it, really, to make sure that guys have the opportunity to talk and express themselves. Let it be known what they’re wishes are, how they want it to go, and how they’re willing to give to one another and all that stuff. It’s a powerful experience. It’s really something. It’s really been a joy to be around and be part of. Looking for more of it.”
(On if there is a young guy that he’s seen emerge that way) “Yeah, in a couple different ways, too. [Travis] Homer has been the guy that just in the way he works, he’s made it known to other guys what he’s all about and where he’s coming from. He’s been in the middle of everything and has done a really nice job of expressing–he’s a guy that hasn’t said a thing. He’s just done it, which is a powerful message. Cody Barton has been, with his actions and what he stands for as a person, has just been a tremendous factor on these guys, too. Both of those guys have been received by the older guys almost immediately because they could just tell. They have just been some influences that have popped up, totally unique to themselves. I’m not so sure that DK [Metcalf] hasn’t had a big impression on these guys now that they’ve seen him. It’s taken a little bit longer for him because he’s very quiet. Being a receiver, you’re kind out on the edge. You don’t get in the middle of stuff as much as those other guys. He’s sent a really firm message about how serious he is to be everything he can be for this team. Those kinds of messages are really powerful. It’s a really good first group. I’m sure there are other guys, too, but those guys come to mind.”
(On if he saw DK’s intrinsic desire to be great during the draft process) “I can’t say that I did. My first interaction with DK was when we took our shirts off. That wasn’t much of a substantive meeting from that point on. It was just kind of fun and games. Our guys have scouted him and gone through the process and had really high praise for him and all that. I don’t think any of us really had the sense for how mature he is as a competitor at this point. It’s great to see. You can see he’s excelling. It’s part of it. he’s very comfortable in the moments and very comfortable with the challenges and the process of learning. Here was are, game 13 or something, wherever the heck we are right now, with our guys and he’s hanging right in there just like he’s been around before. I can’t say we had that one nailed.”
(On if he had the messaging in mind when he picked Wagner and Wilson to be the cornerstones going forward after the Super Bowl) “There was no question in both of those two guys. Bobby [Wagner] was a leader immediately in that he was calling defenses from the get-go. We always threw it on him. Kenny [Norton Jr.] wanted to just make him have to do it. He has always been the voice out in front of everybody, even with all the guys that we had back in the day. As times have emerged, there was, without question, that he and K.J. [Wright] were just shoulder to shoulder on standing for what we like to all represent. When they got the chance and really, it took opportunity really because there was kind of a normal staging of who does the talking and who’s up front and all that. Guys, respectfully, it fits together. As it has fit for these guys to take it over. Russell [Wilson] has taken over. They’ve just been remarkable factors for us.”
(On why Jason Myers has been so inconsistent) “I always go back to the mechanics of it. There are things that he wants to be really precise about. He’s such a good practice guy in his drilling, his reps, his mentality, and his consistency is so good. That’s why we talk like we talk because we know what he does on a daily basis. I think it’s just turning the corner and hitting a better percentage in all facets of what he’s doing. Why it went that one way in one game, I don’t know. The body of work has been really otherwise. We’re counting on him to come right back to his strength.”
(On how the team has supported Jason Myers) “On the sidelines, it was obvious. The guys just came up to him and gave him a little shot and say something to him. Give him a high-five or whatever. We’re with you. It happened in the locker room again; players made mention of it in the huddle. It’s just exactly what you’d hope would happen. All for the right reasons and a really classy fashion.”
(On how Quandre Diggs is looking for this week) “We’re anticipating he’s going to practice and go full go. We’ll see what happens with that. We’ll just take it one day at a time. We’re really excited to finally get him out there. He really hasn’t had a chance to do anything yet. Barely started a little bit the first couple days he was here. Never even ran full speed, but he has worked out this past week in order that trainers were letting him go.”
(On if Quandre’s hamstring has gotten worse since arriving in Seattle) “I don’t know that. I just know what we saw. I don’t know what it was before that, so I can’t tell you. He didn’t get worse here because he hasn’t done enough to do anything. He came in with an issue that we had to deal with.”
(On if Josh Gordon will be fully practicing when practice starts this week) “Yeah, he’s been cleared to go. He’s ready to go. On Thursday, when we get rolling again, he’ll be going. He’s in the building studying and all that getting ready. We’ll see how it goes.”
(On his initial impression of Josh Gordon) “He’s really clear. Excited to be here. Had a good conversation on a lot of topics in a short time. He met with the coaches and all that. He’s bright, sharp, ready to learn. Humble. Looking for the opportunity to make something happen and help the club. He had similarly had his sights on getting here. He was hoping to get here. That’s a good thing.”
(On his expectations for Josh Gordon) “I’m telling you, I’m just waiting to see. I’ve seen him on film. He looks pretty special. He has a good history of making plays and all that. I want to see him when he mixes with our guys and really just take it one step at a time with no expectations on how much he would contribute or play or whatever. I’m just going to see what happens.”
(On where he anticipates Quandre fitting in) “We’ll see. We’ll see during the week. I don’t have anything to go on other than the film I’ve watched. I’m really excited to see him because I like the way he plays. We’ll wait and see.”
(On their plan to help with Gordon’s history of substance abuse) “Hopefully, we’re putting together a really good plan. He has a really clear process that supports him. We’re all aligning to make sure that continues and he feels very good about that. We’re going to do our part what we can do here to accent and support him system he’s already got in order.”
(On the part of the team culture that he thinks helps players in similar situations) “I don’t know. It’s the sense that, I’ve said a long time ago to you guys, my dad always said give a guy a second chance. Sometimes, when you do, remarkable things happen. In my way, I look at this as maybe a second opportunity for him. He’s probably had a couple already. We’re going to give him a shot to go and see what he can do.”
(On if he thinks Gordon thinks this is his last chance) “I don’t know that. I don’t know that. We didn’t talk about that. I didn’t say last chance. I said second chance.”
(On how he feels Marquise Blair handled playing deep safety during the game) “He got through the game. We stayed on top throughout the game. We didn’t give up any bombs and deep balls that these guys are famous for. That was a good part of the plan and he contributed to that. You saw the one deep ball down the middle that they threw all the way to the back out of the end zone. They defended well. He’s coming. There’s a lot of new stuff. It’s a lot of new stuff for him. Because of how we wanted to play in this game plan, Bradley [McDougald] coming back and had been playing strong safety, it was natural that Marquise would go back to free safety. We’ll see. There’s competition here. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.”
(On what he saw from his defense after watching film) “They were really sharp. They did a really nice job. Of course, they have great receivers, and they’ve been making plays all year. We wanted to hold them back in the stuff we were playing zone-wise, and they beat us in some stuff. They did a nice job executing, and the thrower did a really nice job; and we didn’t disrupt him enough. He was too comfortable throwing the football. Normally when we have some big pressures, we cause him some problems. So, it wasn’t hard enough on him on this day.”
(On what stands out about the 49ers and what kinds of challenges they can present) “That they’ve come a long way in a short time, and Kyle’s done a really nice job to turn the corner to get to this point. Just judging off the last couple of years, they’ve always shown really good signs. This is a high-tech team, they’re on their stuff; their schemes, their principles are really good. They’ve always been that, they just had trouble getting it all together and getting their wins but, they’re together now. They really are sharp in all aspects of their team. Defense is just playing lights out. They’ve had the benefits of some really good drafts and they’re loaded. Offensively, Kyle has always presented a bunch of problems and a bunch of challenges with a really clear philosophy and approach; a real good sense for running the football, a real commitment to running the football. The play passes off that stuff really complements so well. Right now, the way there firing, they’re a very, very difficult team because they’re complete. They look like they’re really a complete football team.”
(On how he feels about the tight end position) “We’re making it, we’re making it through. I thought Jake [Hollister] had an extraordinary day for the tight end spot. He should have scored three touchdowns, he missed it by a foot. He made a touchdown by maybe an inch also. But he had a fantastic day for us. Luke [Willson] contributed as well. Luke was banged up yesterday in that game and made it through it in an enormously courageous fashion. He was hurt and just stuck it out anyway. Then, with George [Fant], George adds to that. We get that kind of build and a complement. It would be nice to get Ed [Dickson] back on the field, he’s working. He made it through the week, he did everything. But, I think it’s important for him to get another week and get through it, and build on it cause it’s been so long. The football shape is unique and you can’t simulate it until you really get out there and you really go for it. I want to make sure when Ed is back out there, he’s back there and he’s really solid and he’s really confident and all that. We’ll see what happens this week. He can definitely contribute to it though.”
(On how Jacob Hollister came from practice squad to contributing in a big game against the Buccaneers) “You saw the way the guys responded to him with the winning play of the game, I thought that was really cool. It is important because there are ten guys on the practice squad that are playing right shoulder to shoulder with the guys that are playing. They don’t get the rewards; they don’t get what they want. They have to just keep plugging, keep battling. So, when one of those guys get the chance to step up and then they come through and then they do something really well, it’s a great message for those guys to keep on believing and keeping the hope alive. There’s never been a day where Jake hasn’t been a good worker. There’s never been a day when he wasn’t busting his butt to do whatever we needed him to do. Whether he was on service team, whether he was on special teams, or servicing for the special teams. He’s just given you everything he’s got every single day. So, that’s clear. Guys know that, and they can tell. So, when he gets the chance you’re rooting for him and that’s exactly what happened. It’s not unlike Joey [Hunt], Joey has busted his butt for so long around here. When he got his chance, guys were really fired up about it, that he got this done, and that he contributed to a win, and helped us, and played well, and all that. It’s just rooting for your guys, they’re all connected. Whether they’re on practice squad or not, it’s a good symbol of accomplishment and all that. “
(On what he has noticed about guys on the team who have spent time in the Patriots’ system) “That they’re happy to be here.”
(On how he viewed Chris Carson’s fumbles individually) “They’re totally different situations. The long run – I really wish Chris [Carson] would’ve put the ball in his outside hand but, he didn’t want to do anything because he was in full stride to score. I wish he would’ve kind of looked at the scoreboard maybe to see what was coming. Then, there was a great punch that got him, fortunately the ball went out of bounds, that was a crusher to him. The other one was a totally different situation – one that we worked on; ball on the inside hand he’s trying to bowl over the guy that’s tackling him. We don’t use the football in that situation, it’s too precious to expose it in that way. He’s got to get his shoulder down where he can’t take that shot. That was just an aggressive moment for him that he needs to protect the football with a better conscience than that. It was an unfortunate play, could’ve been a back-breaking play. But, our guys overcame it.”
(On working through the defensive struggles knowing that Russell Wilson is on the other side) “That helps. That helps. Playing complementary football is important. We should be really clear on how much we need each other. We’ve spent such a good amount of time appreciating what the other guys do on both sides of the ball and all that. There are times when without the defense, the offense couldn’t have done what they did. It just happens that this game was really obvious that the offense really was the show. They came through time and time again to keep us in that ball game. They’re grateful for it. They know. I don’t think there’s any issue with that at all other than everybody wants to do their own part though. The defense wants to make sure that they come through this week. They make the statement that helps us win the game this time.”
(On if Luke Willson will play this week) “He says he is. I believe Luke. Whatever he says, I’m going with.”
(On the run defense) “We’ve been inconsistent. I do think that one of the big inconsistencies was the Ravens game. They rushed for 200 on us. That’s a whole different thing to compare. It just hasn’t been as consistent as we’d like. As always, it’s the explosive plays that really make a difference. We’ve got to cut those things down. We had a couple yesterday again in the runs. It’s the discipline of playing things right play after play after play that’s getting away from us more than we want. It’s not as good as it can be.”
(On if he will bring Phil Haynes or Demarcus Christmas back to the roster this week) “Just wait and see. None of that is decided yet.”
